Summary: Draco has to learn what love is after a life without being shown any. Can Harry, who is unexpectedly his mate, show him what it's like to truly be loved? SLASH
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to Rowling, not me. Damn.
Warning: Slash, shounen-ai, boilurv, guyxguy - whatever you want to call it.
A/N: Finally, a new chapter! Okay, for those who haven't already checked back, you really need to. I mean it. The first six chapters have been rewritten. If you don't go back and read, you'll be confused. Now go!
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Show Me The Meaning Of Love - Chapter Seven
There are several things that Draco Malfoy hates. Harry Potter used to sit nice and cozy at the top of that list with no chance of falling from it. It was a nice regularity that he could rely on staying the way it was. At least until the day that he found out that Harry Potter was his mate.
Now Harry could never reach the top of that list. He might get close during their fights, but because of his veela blood, Draco could never truly hate his mate. Not that he loved him either. That was supposed to be an eventual result. One that he wasn't going to let happen any time soon. Severus and his father had told him that fighting himself would only make it worse, but he planned on staying in denial as long as possible.
No, Harry Potter was no longer at the top of his hate list. Actually, right now, sunlight was hitting it pretty high.
"Draco, did you plan on getting up anytime soon?"
Draco groaned at the sound of Harry's voice. That was another one of his hates this morning. Actually, every morning. Especially when he hadn't fully woken up and his veela blood would start singing because of it.
"You know better than to wake me up in the morning," he grumbled into the pillow. "You better have a good reason."
Harry gave an exasperated sigh and the bed sank beside him. The smell of vanilla shampoo mixed with Harry's natural scent filled Draco's head for a moment, completely stopping his thought process before Harry spoke again. "Get up now. We have two hours before we need to be at the train station."
Draco shot up. "What? Why didn't you get me up earlier?" He glared at Harry.
Harry leaned forward slightly and tilted his head to the side to move the hair out of his eyes. "There's enough time for you get ready and for us to floo to London."
"But the trunks aren't-"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Clearly you aren't awake enough. I finished packing last night while you were yelling at Severus for giving me a new vial. There should be enough time for you to double check to be sure you have everything. Otherwise you can always send a letter home to-"
Draco shoved Harry back onto the bed. He would have followed after but urgency called for otherwise. "Fine, fine. I get it. Has Severus left already?"
"He left about two hours ago. He suggested that we arrive separately."
Draco ran a hand through his hair. "Of course."
Harry crossed his arms and swung his legs up on the bed. "Go take a shower. I'll ask one of the elves to make breakfast so it's ready when you get out."
Draco suddenly smirked and he leaned down to kiss Harry on the cheek. "You'll make a good wife, Harry-dear."
Harry jerked away and glared up at him. "Draco Malfoy, in no way was that funny."
Draco laughed and shifted so he was straddling the elf's waist. "Did you take your potion yet?"
"Get off of me and wake up before I have to put you in the shower myself. And don't think I won't do it."
Draco started running his fingers though Harry's hair. He couldn't help it. His hair was so soft; his hands were drawn to it. "And who said that would be a bad thing."
"With freezing cold water."
"I'm sure we could heat things up rather quickly," Draco purred, causing Harry's face to darken. "You look so cute when you blush."
"I'm not cute," Harry growled, shoving Draco off onto the floor. Before Draco could stop his laughter to even think about sitting up, Harry picked him up from the ground and started carrying him towards the bathroom.
"I can walk, you know." Draco lifted his arms to wrap them around Harry's neck. "But since it's you, I'm willing to let that pass."
Harry kicked the bathroom door open and then promptly dropped Draco on the floor. "I'm not amused, Malfoy. Shower. Now."
Draco crossed his arms and glared up at Harry. "You always pick the rudest ways to wake me up. You could try something else."
Harry snorted. "I have. Being 'rude' is the only way that seems to work. Now please stop wasting time. You don't have two hours anymore."
Draco sighed as he picked himself up off the ground, trying to ignore fading whisper in the back of his head that said he would like to hear that 'please' in a different tone and situation. Disregarding or, more likely, in spite of Harry still being in the room, Draco started ridding himself of his clothes.
"You don't have any values, do you?"
Without even looking at him, Draco could tell that Harry had his back to him. He smirked and turned to drape his arms around Harry's shoulders. "We've talked about this before," he murmured, bringing his mouth as close to the other's ear as he could get without getting hit. "When it comes to you, very few."
Harry quickly shrugged the veela off and hurried out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He hated when Draco got like that and how easily embarrassed he would get. When Draco called after him, he stubbornly ignored him and went to go double check his trunk.
When he opened the battered trunk – the elder Malfoy had retrieved it from his former home before he burned it to the ground – Harry couldn't help but sigh like he always did. His few measly belongings, including his broom and old sneek-o-scope, had multiplied since his arrival at the Malfoy summer house. Aside from the whole new wardrobe, which Harry was grateful for no matter how much he complained, Draco had brought home new things for him almost every time he left the house. His old cauldron had been replaced, along with his broom-cleaning kit. Books on elves and veela were stacked in one corner next to his school books. A small bag of trinkets lay on the other side of the trunk under a protection charm and Harry didn't want to think about how much those had cost. Every time Draco would give him something, they both would get awkward and shift around until one of them just left the room. Harry was sure Draco was still getting used to thinking about him all the time when they were apart.
Even Lucius had given him things, though he wasn't sure if they had been bought. It was more likely that they were family heirlooms. It was uncomfortable to be around Lucius, who visited frequently to check up on them, because of the attitude that he had adopted towards Harry. It was like he was his second son. He wasn't sure if he should be comforted by that or not. Either way, it would take a while for him to get used to 'being a part of the family'.
Reaching into the trunk, Harry fished out a bottle of the potion Severus had given him and carefully pulled out the rubber stopper. The stuff smelled good and the taste wasn't as horrible as Harry would have thought, but get it on anything but living flesh and it stains the object a light purple forever. Harry was tempted to douse Draco's Slytherin ties in it, but decided that he didn't want an enraged veela after him even if he couldn't harm him. Raising the vial carefully to his lips, Harry swallowed a little and then quickly replaced the stopper.
The sound of the door opening nearly caused Harry to drop the vial. Spinning around, he glared at Draco as he started toweling his hair dry with a smaller towel than the one around his waist. Water dripped onto the floor from his arms and legs and down his chest.
"So you hadn't taken it yet," Draco said, sounding disappointed. "I should have pressed harder."
Harry replaced the bottle in the trunk and then slammed the lid down. "One day you want nothing to do with me and the next you're all over me," he growled. "Make up your mind, will you?"
Draco rolled his eyes and said nothing as he disappeared into the closet. Harry frowned after him before turning back to his trunk and running his fingers across the Hogwarts emblem. "I wonder what would happen if I took more then the recommended does," he mused aloud. "I'll have to ask Severus."
With a loud pop, a house elf appeared beside Harry and quickly bowed. "Daisy heard that-"
"I've told you that you don't have to bow every time, Daisy," Harry scolded softly. "But, yes, breakfast would be nice."
The elf stared up at him with wide eyes and the fabric of her pillowcase-outfit shifting a little as she half-bowed anyway. "Did you wants something special, Master Potter?"
Harry sighed, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, the house elf would never be able to not bow to him. It just wasn't in her nature to do so and telling her not to probably confused her immensely. "No, Daisy. The usual will be fine."
Daisy bowed again and disappeared with a pop. Harry shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets as he fell down onto the bed. House elves and their servitude. Wouldn't give it up for the world. Unless, of course, their owners were treating them like trash…
Harry allowed his mind to carry him off to wherever it felt like going and closed his eyes. Despite his wakefulness, he was tired. The night before, the thought suddenly occurred - how the hell was he going to face the school like this? He and Draco were complete opposites and not in a million years would anyone thing of them as 'together'. This was going to be a rather difficult situation, he mused darkly. That thought had kept him up and restless most of the night.
Even through his drowsy daze of deep thoughts, Harry faintly heard the door to the closet opening. The bed dipped down beside him and he opened one eye to look over at Draco. "It's not polite to stare."
Draco rolled his eyes and poked Harry roughly in the side. "How much sleep did you get last night?"
Harry lay back with a sigh. "Take a guess. I'm sure I woke you a few times. I'm not exactly a quiet sleeper when I'm restless."
"You don't have to get offended. I'm concerned."
"I'm fine," Harry said flatly. "Daisy brought breakfast."
"I could smell it while I was changing."
Silence laid heavily over them and Harry was aware of Draco's sweeping his form. Instead of repeating his words about staring, Harry sat up and turned to stare right back at Draco. Snorting, Draco casually reached forward and brushed a rouge piece of hair out of his eyes.
"You look too good in those pants," Draco murmured, his eyes flashing over Harry's body again. "You should change."
It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "I don't see a reason why I should. Besides that, they're comfortable."
"You're not even going to consider my feelings in this are you?"
Harry's eyes flashed and he looked away. "You mean the feeling that you can't keep stable for more than a few minutes."
Draco looked away as well, ignoring how the words had actually hurt him. "Don't be a prat, Harry."
"I'm not changing."
"Fine."
After another long silence, Harry checked his watch and motioned towards the small table that Daisy had set up for them. School called and they couldn't approach the awaiting problem on an empty stomach.
